Meet Erin Archer

Candidate for

Lake Travis ISD

School Board Place 3

Hey Y’all!

My name is Erin Archer, and I’m running for Lake Travis ISD School Board Place 3. I was approached by friends, neighbors, and respected members of our wonderful community and was encouraged to run for this position. This is a daunting task, but the more I thought and prayed about it, I realized there is no mission more important than fighting for the educational excellence of our children.

As a mom of four Lake Travis ISD students, I am passionate about ensuring that all of our children get the best possible education. I believe that parents are partners in education, and I trust parents to make the best choices for their children. In my 15 years of experience as a small business owner in this community, I gained an appreciation for the importance that our school district plays in the health of our economy and community, and most importantly the development of our families.

If elected, I will be a collaborative and open-minded voice on the board. I will work to ensure that the focus of our school system is on the education of our children, removing politics from the classroom, and making sure that the community has a voice in the upcoming decisions facing our rapidly growing district.

I would appreciate your support and vote!

You will be sent an email from the Erin Archer Campaign with a button to use in confirming your information to receive emails from Erin during our Lake Travis ISD School Board election.

About Erin

I was born and raised in Louisiana. My mom is a retired high school teacher of 30 years. I graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Louisiana (Geaux Cajuns!) in 2002. I met my husband, Ben, in college and we were married in 2003. We have worked together side by side since we graduated from college.

Our first child, Andrew, was born in New Orleans in 2005 and we lost our home and our livelihoods after Hurricane Katrina in that same year. What felt like a tragedy at the time, ended up being a blessing in disguise! We chose to make a fresh start in Lake Travis. After opening and developing three small businesses and growing our family by 3 more children, this is absolutely our home! When we moved here we had no family nearby and no support system. This community embraced our family and helped us raise our children! To all of you who are new here – welcome!

Our children, Andrew (11th grade), Emily (9th), Nicholas (6th) and Samuel (4th) are all students in LTISD. I can say without a doubt our kids have received a great education, while being supported and loved by caring teachers and administrators.

Erin’s Community & School Service

Schools

- Room Parent for 5 years total (at Serene Hills Elementary and Lakeway Elementary)
- Library Volunteer for 4 years at Serene Hills Elementary
- Committee Member for Serene Hills Carnival for 2 years
- Co-Chair Teacher Appreciation at Lakeway Elementary PTO

Church

- Active member of Lakeway Church for the last 3 years
- Active member of Church at Lake Travis from 2010 to 2019
- Volunteered as a preschool Sunday School Teacher for 7 years (Church at Lake Travis)
- Austin Disaster Relief Network Volunteer (ADRN)
- Disaster Relief Coordinator (DRC) liaison between Church at Lake Travis and ADRN

Community

Our family has supported almost every school club, sports team, and band through our time and philanthropic giving over the last 5 years. In addition, I’ve also served in the following community focused organizations.

- Lake Travis HS Football Booster Club
- Golf Tournament Co-Chair for 2 years
- Huddles & Heels Committee Member
- Spring Jamboree Committee Member
- Colin’s Hope Sponsor for 4 years & Committee Member for Best Day Ever Gala
- Lake Travis Youth Association sponsor for 5 years
- Lake Travis Education Foundation (LTEF) & Set Up Committee for LTEF Gala
- Young Men’s Service League (YMSL)
  - Served as Chair of Mom Meetings
  - Committee Member of Boy Meetings
  - Completed over 80 service hours around the greater Austin area

Issues

Schools staying open for in-person learning:

When school doors were closed, our children’s education immediately suffered. Our kids are greatly disadvantaged when they are not with their teachers and classmates face to face. Not only do their grades deteriorate but their emotional health is greatly affected as well. When elected, I will always consider both sides of an argument but keeping schools open for in-person instruction will be a priority.

Parents making choices for their children:

Covid and protocols are still divisive topics. Quarantines, masking, and vaccinating are being debated around our country and in our community. I respect everyone’s rights to make the choices that best fit their family. Parents matter and I trust them to make important decisions for their children.

Conversation about a second high school:

The merits of a second high school have been debated for years. LT is a vibrant and growing community that has attracted thousands of families from around the country. My priority is having the most opportunities possible for our children. I will use a data-driven, measured approach to decide on any new schools. Through the work of a community led bond committee, I will thoughtfully consider all recommendations brought to the board. There are successful, highly ranked districts that utilize both large scale and multiple high school models. I will vote to do whatever is best for the kids in our district, using the opinions of parents, the financial realities and data projections presented.

Learning loss and community support:

No conversation can be had about academic excellence without recognizing the setbacks we faced from remote learning. We need to address learning loss from the past two years while recommitting to supporting our teachers who faced so many challenges. I propose a parent-teacher community committee, established by the Board of Trustees, to discuss and propose solutions on how the district can support and retain the best teachers. Teachers and parents interact every day to come up with solutions for students. Let’s empower these important relationships to support teachers as well.

Compromise and healthy conversation:

It is obvious the political climate in our country has become more and more divided in the last few years. Politics has no place in our classrooms. I feel strongly our children should be taught how to think, not what to think. Too often we want to stifle and censor arguments contrary to our own. When elected, I will bring an open-minded, collaborative, and thoughtful approach to decisions regarding our children. I am not coming into this election with any agenda or bias. I pride myself on seeing things from every angle. I look forward to healthy conversation, and to making decisions based solely on what is age-appropriate and best for the children of our district.